


Stranger Than You Dreamt It

by Cesare



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Book/Movie Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-01
Updated: 2010-12-01
Packaged: 2017-10-13 11:43:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/136961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cesare/pseuds/Cesare





	Stranger Than You Dreamt It

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Digital Art - 2009-09-12 - Phantom](https://archiveofourown.org/works/119012) by [chkc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chkc/pseuds/chkc). 



"You..." Rodney's shoulders trembled. "Are you serious?"

John resettled the half-mask on his face with a heavy heart.

He'd known that no matter how Rodney swore he could take the sight of John's hideous deformity-- _You should see me after an allergy attack, I mean, the hives, the puffy face... it lasts for days sometimes, people cringe away from me on the streets, so I understand how you feel, you see, and really, I'm not that shallow, or, well, okay, yes, I am, but I'm shallow enough that once I saw you shirtless, I stopped worrying about what your face looks like--_ no one, not even Rodney, could stand the sight of John's monstrous visage.

And still, John had dared to hope for long enough to lift the mask, and now, Rodney's whole body shook, his face red, eyes shining with horror...

"Oh my _God,"_ Rodney said, and burst out laughing.

"The shock, I know," John said grimly.

"The sho-- are you out of your mind? You have [a little bit of a blue rash](http://www.gateworld.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=279&pos=214)? That's it? It practically just looks like five o'clock shadow!" Rodney pointed at him, holding his stomach as he laughed and laughed. "I just-- wow, you must be the most vain person I've ever met, if you seriously think that's a problem."

"People scream when they see me!" John protested, stung.

"Yeah, because you brood around in a black cape and a ghostly mask and pop out from behind old scenery without any warning!" Rodney planted his hands on his hips. "Look, did you really kill anybody?"

"No, of course not," John demurred. "One guy was wandering around under the opera house drunk and broke his neck. After that any time someone disappeared it was blamed on me, but most of them just quit. The owners play up the whole 'phantom' thing to keep the employees in line and juice ticket sales."

"And you really, um," Rodney crossed his arms, "really liked my playing?"

The only person John had ever wanted for even a moment to hurt was the teacher whose asinine criticism made Rodney abandon the piano. Rodney only played when he thought no one else was around, while working on his elaborately engineered opera sets after hours. It was that music... technically perfect, intelligent, reverent... that drew John out from under the opera house like nothing else ever had or ever could.

"Of course," he said, as purely honest as if the words were bleeding out of him.

"Well then," Rodney answered, "you have nothing to be embarrassed about." And with a few brisk paces and a quick, no-nonsense unfastening, he removed the mask from John's face and kissed him tenderly, his hand caressing John's blue, bumpy jaw.

John instinctively tried to jerk away, but Rodney's other arm wound around his waist and kept him there, pressed fast against Rodney's body.

"Don't be stupid," Rodney scolded. "I told you, I'm shallow. And I've been told I'm not very tactful, though I prefer to think of it as being honest. Anyway, if this were really a problem for me, you'd know." He pressed his lips to the rough blue skin of John's cheek.

And it was true, John realized; if Rodney found John's face abhorrent, he wouldn't hesitate to say so. Instead, he'd found it... funny.

John kissed him back; he'd never been so happy to be laughed at in all his life.


End file.
